Pope Francis declares Mother Teresa a saint

Mother Teresa MC was officially declared a saint on Sunday, Sept. 4, at the Saint Peter’s Square in the Vatican by Pope Francis, according to CNN. Thousands of people watched as the symbolic ceremony progressed, a canonization mass, in which a person is transformed into a saint. The ceremony took place just one day before the 19th anniversary of Teresa’s death on Sept. 5, 1997.

Teresa, also known as “Saint of the Gutters,” devoted her life and free will toward helping others. Originally from Albania, she believed in random acts of kindness and primarily focused on India’s poorest citizens. Over the course of her life, she performed two miracles of curing illness, according to Fox 31 Denver. In order to be a saint, USA Today reported that one must perform at least two miracles, which Teresa did — she cured a woman with stomach tumors and a Brazilian man with brain tumors after he prayed to her. She is now known as “Blessed Saint Teresa of Calcultta,” according to CNN.

After the ceremony itself, Pope Francis spoke about Teresa’s life and how everyone, regardless of their religious views, should strive to be like her.

“Mother Teresa, in all aspects of her life, was a generous dispenser of divine mercy, making herself available for everyone through her welcome and defense of human life, those unborn and those abandoned and discarded,” Pope Francis said, according to Fox 31 Denver.

The Pope then focused on how Teresa truly helped those going through physical and emotional struggles, such as the poor and the sick. At the end of his homily, Pope Francis lightheartedly acknowledged the fact that Teresa acted like a mother during her entire life, and thus people perhaps may still refer to her as “Mother Teresa,” according to Fox 31 Denver.

According to USA Today, cops reported that 100,000 tickets were actually sold, but actually around 200,000 people witnessed the event. Many watched from afar and in small crevices in the Vatican, USA Today reported. There are reports of colorful flags being flown by patrons, as well as chants of “Saint Teresa” being shouted at the conclusion of the ceremony, according to USA Today.